Senate Committees Kill Pro-Life Bills
Several pro-life bills passed by overwhelming majorities in the Virginia House of Delegates were killed by members of Virginia Senate Committees in Richmond this session. One of these bills passed the House unanimously, but even that did not sway these ax-swinging Senators. Here is what happened:
Feticide
House Bill 149, patroned by Delegate Terry Kilgore (R-Gate City), would have made it a felony for any person, other than the pregnant woman, to willfully, deliberately and unlawfully terminate “the life of a fetus at any stage of development by serious bodily injury to the pregnant woman.” The House passed the bill on February 12 on a vote of 72-28 (see vote H1 in the House voting table) and sent it to the Senate for action. The bill was assigned to the Courts of Justice Committee which decided on March 4 to carry it over to the 2003 session on a 14-1 vote, effectively killing it for this year. The committee in its deliberations tried to equate this bill with an existing abortion law, which was in fact not the case.Parental Consent
House Bill 601, patroned by Delegate Dick Black (R-Sterling) and requiring parental consent before an abortion can be performed on a minor, passed the House of Delegates with little debate on February 9 on a vote of 73-25 (see vote H2). In the Senate, the bill was assigned to the Education and Health Committee where, despite the overwhelming majority in the House, the bill was killed on February 28 on a 7-7 vote (see vote E1 in the Senate voting table). Senator John Chichester (R-Fredericksburg) was not present and refused to leave his proxy to act on the bill. [See related Note to Senator Chichester from Delegate Black.]The bill was similar to the law passed in 1997 and signed by then Governor George Allen, except that the requirement for notice was changed to a requirement for consent by an “authorized person,” meaning a parent, duly appointed legal guardian or custodian of the minor, or person standing in loco parentis. Wording was also added to give greater assurance that the person giving consent was in fact the parent or other authorized person, by having the signature notarized to prevent misrepresentation.
Previously, the same Senate committee killed SB 645, a similar bill patroned by Sen. Charles Colgan (D-Manassas). That bill was originally assigned to the Senate Courts of Justice (CJ) committee, which referred it to the Education and Health (E&H) committee. E&H tried to refer it back to CJ, but that motion failed. A motion to report it out to the Senate floor also failed. It was then passed by, effectively killing it.
Contracts for Embryonic Stem Cell Extraction
House Bill 1361, patroned by Delegate David Nutter (R-Blacksburg), would have outlawed contracts, or provisions in contracts, that promise payment for the extraction or use of embryonic stem cells. The bill was reported out of the House General Laws committee on a unanimous 22-0 vote and passed the House unanimously on the uncontested calendar on Feb. 12.In the Senate, it was referred to the Courts of Justice Committee which, despite the unanimous support given by the House of Delegates, killed the bill on March 4 on a vote of 4-9 (see vote C1), with one abstention.
Abortion Conscience Clause
House Bill 563, patroned by Delegate Kathy Byron (R-Lynchburg), would have protected physicians, pharmacists and other medical and health care professionals who object to abortion from dispensing medication for the purpose of abortion. This is an addition to the current conscience clause that protects hospitals and physicians from having to perform abortions, and others from having to participate in abortions. The House passed the bill on Feb. 12 on an overwhelming 79-20 vote (see vote H3).In the Senate, the bill was assigned to the Courts of Justice Committee which referred it to the Education and Health Committee where it was passed by indefinitely (killed) on February 28 on a 10-3 vote (see vote E2). The bill was opposed by a number of pharmacy companies.
Surrogacy Contract Abortions
House Bill 600, patroned by Delegate Dick Black (R-Sterling), would have made void “any provision in a surrogacy contract requiring or encouraging the surrogate to abort a fetus, under any circumstances.” The bill passed the House by a vote of 86-13 (see vote H4).In the Senate, it was referred to the Courts of Justice committee which failed to report (defeated) the bill on March 4 on a 7-7 vote (see vote C2).
Published in VSHL Lifesaver, April, 2002
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